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Beijing Shopping

Beijing has many shopping districts offering all kinds of goods from brand named things to local souvenirs of Jade and Antiques. The traditional shopping districts have been always Wangfujing Street, Qianmen Street, Dongdan and Xidan Commercial Street. There are also many outdoor markets which foreign travelers always considered to be a must see place. The Liulichang Street is renowned for paintings, Panjiayuan Market is for Antiques, Hongqiao market is for pearls while the Silk Market is for local souvenirs of Beijing.

Wangfujing Street

The 700-year-old Wangfujing (the Well of the Prince's Mansion) Street is one of China's oldest and most famous commercial areas, There are over 200 shops located along the 810-metre-long street and in an area of about 810 square meters. The street combines tradition, modernity, culture and commerce.

Qianmen Street

Qianmen is one of the famous commercial streets in Beijing. There are many famous century-old shops on the street such as Tongrentang Pharmacy. The Qianmen commercial street was formed in the Qing Dynasty when it was stipulated that people from other places must not stay in the city (within the present Qiansanmen Street) and the city gate of Beijing must be closed in the evening for the safety of the Forbidden City.

Xidan Commercial Street

Xidan Street is one of the most famous traditional commercial areas in Beijing where companies in the general merchandise, food and beverage, entertainment and banking sectors can be found. A large number of merchants gather there, and the daily average volume of the flow of customers is more than 200,000. It is in a very important position in the commercial pattern of Beijing.

 

Liulichang Street

Liulichang is a famous cultural street in Beijing established in the Yuan Dynasty. There used to be a colored glaze kiln and factory there; therefore, it is called Liulichang (colored glaze factory). In the Ming and Qing dynasties, most of the successful candidates in the imperial examinations at the provincial level who went to Beijing to participate in the imperial examinations gathered here, so there are many book and stationery shops that created a strong cultural atmosphere and became a book and antique market.

Panjiayuan Antique Market

Panjiayuan Second-Hand Market is a holiday market where second-hand goods, handicrafts, collections and ornaments are traded. The market is divided into 4 business areas: the large canopy area for handicrafts, the area for ancient and old furniture, the area for ancient and old calligraphic works, paintings, books and periodicals, and the business area for ancient architectures with more than 3000 booths.

Silk Market (Xiushui Market)

The Silk Market has very few silk for sale. It has five floors on the ground and three on the underground, with a building area of altogether 28,000 sq. m, and a capacity of thousands of stalls. They are mainly selling replica name brand stuff from bags, shoes, clothes, ornaments, artifacts and silks which are all private owned. Bargaining is an “obligatory course” for people looking for treasures there.

Yashow Market

This four-floor store offers all the Chinese clothing in various styles and colors. Ruifuxiang, a famous shop selling qipaos (traditional Chinese women dresses) is located on the third floor. They have lots of traditional silk products on sale, and you can have your qipao or suits tailor-made to your special requirements.

Hongqiao Market

Hongqiao Market mainly sells pearl ornaments, clothes, shoes and bags. There are 5 floors above the ground and 3 underground floors with a total floor area of 32,000 square meters, more than 1000 stalls. With the gradual implementation of the overall plan for the comprehensive development and construction of the Hongqiao Market area, a commercial area integrating commerce, trade, food and beverage, tourism and entertainment will be formed there.

Chaowai Street

It is one of the commercial centers which have received more and more attention in recent years. Some large malls such as Full Link Plaza, Huapu Commercial Building, Blue Island Mansion, Blue Island West Shopping Center, and the newly built Yabao Market are located there. Sometimes you can find some high-quality and inexpensive commodities.

 

Zhongguangcun Electronic Street

Zhongguancuan area is regarded as China's silicone valley. Shops like Hailong and Dinghao are the two best places for purchasing computer related products of hardware, software, parts, second hand laptops, repairs and fully assembled PCs. It is generally considered the best place to pick up anything computer related in China.

Book Stores

As many of the publishing companies headquartered in Beijing, Beijing is the best place to buy books related with China in English and other foreign languages. The foreign languages bookstore located at Wangfujing Street can be the best choice. Other places are Xinhua Bookstore at Wangfujing Street and Xidan Book Building.

Last Updated on Monday, 02 September 2013 14:50  

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